Breaking Point - Alternate Ending
by jellybean96
Summary: An alternate ending to my original story Breaking Point. See what would have happened if Stevie hadn't been stopped. Warning: tears may be jerked at some point in the story If you haven't read the original, please do so.


**Hey everyone! Sorry I've been so MIA lately. My summer has been pretty packed. Anyways, here is that alternate ending I promised you for Breaking Point. Be prepared for what's coming, if you do not like crying, don't read. Just kidding! Please read! Even if you hate crying!**

**If you haven't read Breaking Point, I suggest that you do, so you know what's happening, but it isn't completely necessary.**

* * *

**Here's some review replies from the actual Breaking Point story.**

Animalfriendship: Thank you! I'm glad you think so.

Omayris: I'm glad you love it.

Blissfulraven: Yeah, I freaking love Flashpoint! I didn't watch it when it was actually on, but I caught re-runs sometimes. Me and my mom found it on Netflix and then watched every single episode. Such a good show. That's so awesome that you live there. I'm glad you loved it. Alternate ending is here! :)

Goddess of Idiots: Thanks!

Jazzybeardancer: Thanks! I'm glad you think so. I love Flashpoint too. It's pretty amazing. Thanks, I tried as best I could to make the Flashpoint characters as close to themselves that I could. I'm glad you loved the Zevieness. Yeah, I know who that is, Calum Worthy. That was a good episode. I don't know if I'll do an aftermath for the original, I might. If I can come up with something.

**And now! The story! Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

_"Sam, Jules, I'm sending the boyfriend back to you guys to help."_

_"Yeah we see him,"_ Jules says quietly into her com after a moment.

"Stay there," Sam whispers to Zander and then motions to Jules and the two slowly walk out of Stevie's line of sight.

"Hi," Jules says to him, "my name's Jules. This is Sam. You're Zander?"

He nods.

"Okay. I'm gonna let her know that you're here. And then what I'm gonna need you to do, is to talk to her. That's all you need to do. Just talk. She's very vulnerable right now. And very on edge. You just need to get her to put the gun down without hurting anyone else. Think you can do that for me?" Zander nods his head, "Okay. Just give me a second. Sam, you ready?"

"Ready when you are."

Jules slowly steps back out, Sam in front of her, "Stevie?"

She whips around and points the gun at Jules, "Go away."

"I'm sorry. I can't do that. But I have someone here to see you. They want to talk to you." she glances over and motions for Zander to step forward.

He slowly steps out into the open, "Steves?"

"Z?" her mouth drops open, but she gets a tighter grip on the gun, "What—what are you doing here? You're supposed to be at home."

"I was at home. But the police called me. They said you were in trouble."

"Well they were wrong, because I'm not in trouble. Not anymore. Now I'm in charge of things. It's time for Molly to pay."

"I know you don't really want to hurt her Stevie."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I know you baby," he takes a few steps forward down the stairs.

"Don't come any closer Zander. I don't want to hurt you too."

"But you're not gonna hurt me. You know how I know that?"

"How?"

"Because if you hurt me, you'll be just like Molly. And I know how much you don't like being associated with Molly. Like that time when Kacey made you go undercover in the Perfs. Remember that? Remember how much you hated it?"

"It was awful. I didn't like it."

"That's right. And the day after everything was over, you came to my house, threw on the biggest clothes of mine that you could find, and you demanded that we do the least girliest stuff we could think of. Remember?"

She gives a small smile, "Yeah. We wrestled, ate tons of unhealthy snacks, and we watched horror films. You held me the entire time, whenever I got jumpy."

"Yeah. We always have so much fun together. You, me, Kacey, Kevin and Nelson. Like when we have our movie nights…"

"At either my house or Kacey's house."

"And whenever we write songs together for the band…"

"We stay up late. Drinking coffee to keep us up."

"And when we perform with the band. I know how much you love performing."

"I do. But then she has to go and insult everything I do!" she looks back at Molly.

Zander panics and looks back at Jules, "What do I do?"

"Just keep going," she whispers, "you're doing great."

Zander nods and turns back to face Stevie, "Stevie don't do this."

"Why should I?"

"Because I know you don't really want to. It's not you. If you do this baby, you're gonna miss out on all of the things that keep you together on a daily basis."

"If I'm so put together all the time, then why am I holding a gun to Molly's face?"

"Because you snapped baby. You bottled everything up, and you snapped. Everyone snaps Stevie. It's natural. Remember when I snapped at Kacey?"

"She kept teasing you about having a crush on me."

"Yeah. And I got tired of it. So I snapped. I snapped at Kacey and told her to stay out of it. But you know the good thing that came out of that?"

"We got together," Stevie mumbles.

"We got together," Zander reiterates with a smile. "And it was the happiest day of my life. And you know what good thing is going to come out of you snapping?"

"Nothing."

"No. Not nothing. Molly is going to realize how much you don't like her messing with you. And she's going to stop." He looks past Stevie and gives Molly a look.

Molly swallows and opens her mouth, "Yeah, I'm gonna stop. I didn't know you hated it so much. You never said anything."

"I'm pretty sure I did," Stevie says harshly, "You just never listened."

"But she's listening now baby. She's listening now. So just put the gun down, and we can go. We can go back outside where all of your family is waiting for you. And our friends are waiting for us. They all just want you to be safe."

Stevie looks over at Molly and then at the other girls against the wall. She closes her eyes and lets a few tears fall. A sad smile appears on her face and she opens her eyes, looking right at Zander. "It's too late for that."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean this," Stevie says and turns to Molly, lifting the gun up and aiming at Molly's face. She cocks the hammer and BANG!

* * *

*1 week later*

Normally when you would go to the beach, you wouldn't see it decorated. Normally it would just be the plain white sand, and the clear blue ocean, and a few families scattered about having fun in the sun. Well today is not a normal day. Today is a day of mourning.

At the end of the beach closest to the ocean, there is a tent of sorts set up, with twinkling purple fairy lights strung all over it, illuminating the night sky. There are chairs set up in front of the tent, two sides, four rows of five chairs. Candles in little metal buckets line the aisle way between the chairs. There is a podium set up to one side beneath the tent. A picture of the deceased set up on a stand, on the opposite side. And last but not least, a medium sized, polished, wooden coffin is set up in the middle of the tent.

The director of the service stands up and approaches the podium. He stands behind it and looks out at the crowd, many of them with sad looks on their faces, some beginning to tear up already, with only a handful of people completely in tears.

"Hello," he begins, "it's a sad day for all of us here today. A life was taken from us too soon, a life that had so much potential." He pauses for a moment, "But today, we will not focus on the passing of this soul, but rather on her life, and the joy she brought to many of those around her. We will first have some words from her boyfriend, followed by the family. The mic will then be open to those of you who would like to share a few words." He looks down into the front row and makes eye contact with the young man sitting in the front row. A silent conversation is passed between the two and the young man stands from his chair and goes behind the podium, taking the spot of the service director.

He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes for a moment, gathering his thoughts. He opens his eyes and looks out at all the people in front of him, "Stevie loves the beach. I know she'd be glad we all came here to remember to her. We even came here a few times when we needed some inspiration for a new song we were working on. We'd tell each other stories about our lives before we met. I miss her a lot, as do all of you here today. I can still see that day like it was yesterday," Zander pauses for a moment as the memories of that day come rushing back.

* * *

_Zander's breath hitches in his throat and he can't move. His whole world has come to stop. He can still hear the gunshot ringing his ear. The world seems to move in slow motion as he painfully watches Stevie fall to the ground in front of him. She falls face down on the ground, right at Molly's feet, the gun falling from her grip. Her hair is splayed out on the ground, a pool of blood starting to form by her head. Molly just watches the scene unfold, as fear, worry, guilt, and pain cross her face. _

"_No!" Zander screams when he is able to find his voice again, "Stevie!" he falls to his knees, and tries to go to her when he feels a pair of arms holding him back. "Let me go!" he screams, "Let me go!"_

_The arms just tighten around him, holding him back. He looks up to see Jules looking down at him, a sad look in her eyes. Looking past her, he sees Sam still standing on the steps, his gun slowly being lowered. "You!" he screams, "Why did you do that? Why did you shoot her? She wasn't going to do it!" the tears run down his cheeks as he screams at Sam. He turns and looks up at Jules, "Why?" he whispers. _

"_I'm sorry Zander," Jules says sadly, "We had to."_

_Zander doesn't say anything but just collapses into Jules' arms and cries. Jules holds him and lets him cry into her shoulder._

"_Zander," Jules says, "we need to go outside now. We need to let the EMT's come in and take care of things."_

"_You don't have to sugarcoat it," he says, "I know they're coming in to take her to the morgue."_

_Jules sighs, "I'm sorry. Let's go outside."_

_Zander doesn't say anything, just stands up with some assistance from Jules and heads outside. He takes one final glance back at Stevie, lying motionless on the floor, lets a few more tears fall, and then continues out the front doors._

* * *

Zander pulls himself back to the present and focuses on the people in front of him, swallowing, "But let's not dwell on what happened last week. Instead, let's focus on what Stevie has done for all of us. All the joy and laughs she brought us. I remember the first time that I met Stevie. She had already been at Brewster for about a year and new all the happenings around school. I was just the new kid who carried a tiny guitar and tried to impress all the girls. I even made the drastic mistake of using my moves on Stevie." He gives a small smile at the memory. "Let's just say she turned me down instantly and set me straight. But I didn't give up so easily. I told her that if she wouldn't succumb to my charm, the least she could do was be a good person and show me the ropes. She reluctantly agreed to show me around and we became instant friends. We bonded over our shared sense of humor, things we liked, things we didn't like, and most of all, music." He lets out a sigh and looks up at the sky, "Sometimes I can still hear her bass being strummed," a few tears fall from his eyes as he looks back down, "she loved that bass guitar. And I loved listening to her play it. Some nights, when I couldn't sleep, I'd call her in the middle of the night, and ask her to strum her bass. I didn't care what she played; I just wanted to hear her play it. She really had a gift for the musical arts. That's one reason why I loved being in a band with her so much. Plus when we played together, it was like everything was alright in the world. She even brought her friends since kindergarten into the band. Kevin and Nelson. They knew her longer than I did, but somehow, I felt like I had known her for as long as they did. We spent so much time together and I loved getting to know her better." He takes a moment to compose himself once again and speaks again, "And then, at the end of the year, it was the best day of my life. The day that she agreed to go out with me. At first I didn't think she was going to say yes, because she never seemed like the type to succumb to me. We all know that Stevie is the type of girl who doesn't let guys take dominance, she has to show her superiority. And I'm pretty sure that most of us here have witnessed that," he gives a small chuckle, along with a few others, "Well surprisingly, on the date she let me be a perfect gentleman. She let me open the doors for her, pull out her chair and even pay the check. And then later on when I asked her to be my girlfriend, I was prepared to take a punch to the arm or something. But instead, she threw her arms around me and whispered in my ear, _It's about time._ I was absolutely thrilled. Stevie made life exciting. For everyone. Whether she was defending you from being harassed, or telling you off for saying something stupid. My life was just average until I met Stevie. I don't know what life is going to be like now that she isn't here anymore. But what I do know, is that if she were here right now and heard me, she'd probably slap me upside the head and say, _Suck it up Zander. Be a man and move on." _He pauses as he chuckles slightly, along with a few people in the crowd. "I just wish I would have been able to do something more to help her. If I had known what was going to happen, I could have stopped it. But it's too late for that now. I just wish I could have said something more to her before she left us. And if I could say one more thing to her right now, I'd probably say, _Stevie, Steves, Baby, I love you. You mean more to me than you could possibly know. There will always be a special place in my heart just for you. And when we see each other again, we're gonna get some huge cups of coffee and write some songs. Because that's our thing. I love you so much baby. So much._" He looks down and wipes the tears from his eyes as he regains his composure. "I just want to thank everyone for coming here tonight, I know that Stevie would really love it that you are all here. Now I'd like to turn the microphone over to Stevie's family who would like to say their peace." He looks over at Stevie's family and nods his head as her parents and brothers all stand up and walk to the podium.

"Stevie is our youngest," her father starts, wrapping his wife in his arms, "and our only daughter. But that doesn't mean we ever loved her any less than our four sons. She was such a strong girl, and feistier than ever. And that's what we all loved about her. She was very headstrong, and like Zander mentioned, liked to do things for herself. Even at young age. I remember when she got that bass of hers that she cherished so much. She worked pretty much all day, every day for three summers, doing odd jobs all over town in order to save up enough money for that bass. And when she got it, she wouldn't stop playing it. But we didn't care, because that bass, well it depicted how much Stevie would really work to get something that she wanted. We love you baby girl." He looks to his wife, silently asking if she wants to speak. She just shakes her head and blows her nose into a handkerchief. He hugs her closer and looks to his sons, who nod their heads. He moves off to the side and allows his four other children, Chris, Nathan, Sam and Ethan to crowd the mic.

"Stevie has always been the toughest of us I think," Chris begins, "and even though she didn't look like it on the outside, she could be a big softy. If you could get close enough to her. Like after I got injured at the community college when I was playing football. She didn't leave my side, wanting to be close to me in case I needed anything. She wouldn't let anyone else help me. She wanted to do everything herself. She would cuddle with me while we watched movies, and we would play all of her favorite board games. She was always good at cuddling. I would just love one of her cuddles right about now."

"Stevie has always been wise beyond her years," Nathan says, "and bonded over music all the time. I remember when my first girlfriend, Tasha, broke up with me. Stevie was just little, kindergarten maybe. I had been moping around the house for days, didn't know how I could live without Tasha. I was sitting on the couch watching reruns of some old soap opera, don't judge, and she came into the room and climbed up onto the couch next to me. She was in her dark blue footie pajamas that had owls on the feet, and her hair was all a mess of tangles. She sat next to me and cuddled with me while I watched the television screen. We just sat there, not talking until she sat up and used the remote to turn the TV off. Then she turned to me and said, _Nate, don't be sad. You are special in so many ways. And if Tasha can't see that, then she obviously isn't very smart. And don't forget, there are other notes on the sheet music, not just one._ Then she smiled at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek and said, _don't be sad. You're no fun when you're sad." _Nathan swallows as he chokes back some tears, "Gosh, she had so many cheesy music analogies and I used to tease her about them as she got older. What I wouldn't give to hear another right now. I love you baby sister."

Sam steps up next, "I've always been a big fan of Stevie's humor. It was something we shared. We would constantly work together to prank people and crack jokes at one another. There was this one time at a family reunion, and Stevie was going through a rough patch at school, so she didn't really want to hang out with anyone. But I convinced her to help me prank our Uncle Danny, who is a very easy target, and she agreed. We walked down to the corner store a few blocks away and got a few things we needed. Then when we got back, we set the trap. I don't remember what we did, but I do know that it made a mess. A big mess. Neither of us could stop laughing the entire weekend. Pranking people with Stevie never got old. And there's going to be a lot more pranking when we meet up again. You better warn everyone to be ready for us."

Lastly, Ethan steps up to the mic, "I don't know what else to say that hasn't already been said by my brothers. Stevie and I did a lot together though. She really confided in me and I confided in her as well. I don't want to embarrass him, but I remember when Stevie finally realized that she liked Zander as more than a friend. We could all see the effect he had on her, except for Stevie. She was the only one that couldn't see it, for the longest time. But when she finally did, I remember it so clearly. She had just gotten home from band practice, and no one else was at home because they were all out doing whatever. She came and sat next to me, not saying a word. Then she finally turned to me and asked me, _How do you know when you're in love?_ I was shocked, but I just turned to her and replied, _All the songs make sense._ She smiled at me and then started telling me about how lately her feeling for Zander started to change. I told her that I knew all along, she punched my shoulder, but then she hugged me and thanked me for listening to her. I said, _Anytime kiddo_. I'm gonna miss our talk time, she probably knew me better than anyone. But there'll be plenty of that when we see each other again."

The family of 7, now turned 6, gather one another in a large hug, and then go back to their seats. A few silent moments pass before a man stands up from his seat and makes his way to the podium, his wife by his side.

He steps up to the mic, and clears his throat, "Hello, I am Zander's father, and this is my wife. Stevie was like a daughter to us. After the two met, we could always count on seeing the two of them on the couch in the living room, playing their instruments or watching a movie. She was a good to friend to our boy, and an even better girlfriend."

"I loved having Stevie around the house," the man's wife says, "and even though she didn't know us for that long, she wasn't afraid to speak her mind and tell us straight up if we were being strange. She'd even come into the house and go straight for the food in the kitchen, like she had always lived there. When she and Zander started dating, we could tell how great of an influence they were on each other. We couldn't have asked for a better girl to come into our lives. You're always welcome in our family Stevie." The two look up sadly to the skies for a mere moment and then make their way back to their seats. A few quiet moments later, a young girl stands up, a few tears trickling down her face, and makes her way to the podium.

She stands behind it, and swallows, "Hi. I'm Mel. Stevie was like a sister to me, which was really nice, because I only have a brother. Even though I'm really close with my brother, I felt equally as close to Stevie, like I could tell her anything. I put her through the ringer when she first started dating Zander. I didn't want her to break his heart like his other girlfriends had done before. She had assured me that nothing would change, and I believed her. Sometimes we'd even hang out without my brother, just the two of us for some girl time. I loved our girl time. Even though she and Zander seemed very happy, I'd still get doubts, and she'd reassure me that she would never hurt or leave my brother intentionally. And I believed her. Still do. I know that you didn't mean to leave him Stevie. And it's okay. I love you girl, you were the sister I never had but always wanted." She wipes a few tears from her eyes and then walks back to her chair, sitting down beside Zander and hugging him tightly.

Two boys stand up together, walking slowly up to the podium, "I'm Kevin," the dark skinned boy says, "and this is Nelson," he gestures to the boy next to him. "We've known Stevie since kindergarten and she's always been a good friend of ours."

"She always stood up for us when other kids picked on us," Nelson says, "but then she'd turn right around and tell us to stop acting like idiots. It was fine coming from her, cause we knew that she only did it because she cared about us. And that she only had good intentions whenever she did something. Like when she brought Zander into our group of friends. He molded instantly and we had never seen Stevie so happy. We weren't jealous that she spent so much time with him."

"We were happy that she felt so comfortable around him so quickly. It took her about a month into kindergarten to actually consider us her friends and invite us over to her house. After that, the three of us were inseparable. We loved having her as our friend and we don't regret for a minute, approaching her that day in kindergarten."

"Well, maybe at first when she shocked both of us in the arm and called us freaks," the two boys chuckle along with a few others, "but no matter how many times she hit us and called us freaks, we wouldn't trade being friends with her for the world."

"You were a great friend Stevie, we'll miss you." the two smile up at the sky and then go back to their seats, sitting down and giving each other a quick hug. After another quiet moment, a dark skinned girl gets up and slowly makes her way to the podium, "I didn't have the opportunity to know Stevie as well as many of the people here. I'm Kacey, and we didn't really become friends until a little bit after Zander came to the school. And it took even longer for her to really trust me with things, and actually consider me her friend. I was so grateful when she did, because it meant that she was forgiving me, for all of the times I was rude to her growing up. But Stevie was a good person, she didn't deserve it. And I'm glad that she was willing to take me into her group of friends when I was at an all time low. She took me in, and showed what it really meant to be a friend to someone what life was really about. That it wasn't about the fashion and the looks, or the popularity. It was about the people who cared about you, and the people you cared about, kindness, love, friendship. None of that material stuff matters. I just wish I could have more time to get to know her, and I don't think I ever told her this, but I'm sorry Stevie. Sorry for everything I did to you, and I'm glad that we became friends. You truly were a blessing on my life." Kacey wipes her eyes and swallows, going back to her seat and sitting, hugging Kevin tightly.

A petite girl stands up from her seat, slowly making her way down the aisle on crutches. She stands behind the podium, leaning on her crutches for support, "Hi, I'm Grace. I didn't know Stevie as closely as most of you here did. But I do know that she was a genuine person. She wasn't fake. And she was a really nice person, especially to me. She never yelled at me, or made me feel stupid. She made me feel like I was an actual person, and I just wish I could have shown her how appreciative I was of that. I only very briefly hung out with her, when I temporarily joined her band. She was really nice to me." She takes a moment to look down at her leg and sighs, and then looks back up, "she did this to my leg, but I know that it was an accident. And right after it happened, she told someone to help me, and then let me go outside. She wanted me to be safe. She didn't want me getting hurt. I'd like to think that wherever she is, she knows how grateful I am of her. She made me feel special. Thank you Stevie, for everything." She grips her crutches again and makes her way down the aisle and back to her seat.

After Grace sits back down, one by one, other people in the crowd go up to the podium and say a few words. For most of them, it is just the usual; Stevie was a nice person, she stood up for me, she was wonderful, she was a talented bassist, etc. Most of them were people who only passed her in the hallway or had a class with her, or went to one of her concerts. None of them really knew Stevie really well, but nobody even dared to call them out on it. Not while they were at a memorial service for her.

Finally, after the majority of the people in attendance have stood up to speak, one last person cautiously stands from their seat in the back row, making their way to the front to the podium. Everyone is shocked, to say the least, for no one expected this one person to be there.

When they reach the podium, they stand there for a quiet moment before speaking, "Hello, my name is Molly. I know that many of you weren't expecting to see me here, let along get up and speak, seeing as Stevie and I never really got along. Since we were little, I took every opportunity I had to harass Stevie, about everything that she said or did. At first I was just the sidekick, until we got to high school, and our leader became friends with Stevie. The harassing didn't stop there though, because I took point and continued harassing her, taking things further than before. The funny thing is, after a while, I completely forgot why we were doing it. It was just sort of the way things were, and she was our main target. But right now, I wish I had stopped. I wish that I didn't continue. Because I pushed her over the edge and made her do what she did. Out of all the cuts and bruises she gave me that day, I think the most painful injury, was the one when I saw her fall to the floor in front of me. She really was a good person. I saw it every day, but I ignored it. Sometimes, I think she was a better friend to Grace than I was, and we'd been best friends since birth. She was a better person than I ever was, and she didn't deserve all of the stuff I put her through. She told me once to stop. She separated me from my friends and corned me after school in the bathroom and told me to stop. But I just brushed it off and kept harassing her. But I really wish I would have listened. If it wasn't for me, she still could be here today, and none of us would be here right now, doing this. I pushed her; I pushed her over the edge and made her do what she did. It's my fault, I'm to blame! I got her killed! I got her killed!" Molly falls to her knees against the sand and lets the tears flow down her face. She just cries and cries, letting the tears hit the sand. No one had ever seen Molly cry before, so they were all shocked. This is not the put together, head held high, strong willed girl they saw everyday at school. She was now a mess of emotions, getting her clothes dirty without a care in the world.

And then just as quickly as Molly fell to the floor, Stevie's mom stands up and rushes to her side, pulling her into her arms and rubs her back up and down. Everyone is shocked. Out of everyone there, none of them expected one of Stevie's family members to be comforting Molly.

"Shh," she says, "it wasn't your fault. No one is blaming you."

"No one is blaming me out loud, but I can see it in their eyes! The way they look at me. Everyone is blaming me!"

Mrs. Robbins pulls away for a moment to look at Molly and wipes a few tears from her face, "Look at me. I don't recall you being the one who pulled the trigger that took my daughter from me. You may have pushed her, but she made the choice to do what she did. Yes she's gone, and we all wish she was still here. But nothing can bring her back. It wasn't your fault that she got shot. It wasn't."

Molly just looks up at the woman, wondering how she could be comforting her when she was basically the reason why Stevie wasn't there. She just gives her a small smile, "Thank you," she whispers.

Stevie's mom, Cindy, smiles back and then hugs Molly once more before helping her to stand up, and guides her back to the front row. She makes everyone shift down one seat and sits down, pulling Molly down into the seat next to her. The service conductor stands back up and closes the ceremony, thanking everyone for being there and sharing the kind words of Stevie.

As everyone files off of the beach, they give their condolences to Stevie's family and her close friends. the Baskara's, the Robbins', and a few of Stevie's closest friends all plan on gathering at the Baskara's house for a small get together to be with each other.

After everyone has left the beach, except for those select few going to the gathering, they all gather together in one big group hug.

"Hang on," Mel says, pulling from the group, "Where's Zander?" Everyone begins looking around, trying to spot him in the darkness.

"There he is," Nelson says, pointing down the beach, near the water.

"What's he doing there?" Kacey asks.

"I'll go see," Cindy says, beginning to walk down the beach. When she reaches Zander's side, she just stands next to him, not speaking.

"I'm sorry," Zander says, looking out at the ocean.

"For what?" Cindy asks him in confusion.

"For not being able to stop her. I was so close. If I had done it right, maybe she'd still be here." A few tears escape his eyes.

"Hey," she grabs Zander's shoulder and turns him so he is facing her, "Don't talk like that. You did everything you could. And from what I heard, you had her down for a moment there."

"But if I had gotten her to put the gun down…"

"Stop. It isn't your fault. It's no one's fault. Stevie made the choice she did."

"I just miss her so much," Zander cries, throwing himself into Cindy's arms. She holds him and just lets him cry into her shoulder.

"I know you do," she soothes, "we all do."

After a moment he pulls back, and looks at her, wiping a few tears from his face. "Um, I'm just gonna take a few more minutes down here. Can you guys wait for me?"

"Sure thing hon," Cindy says, giving Zander one last hug before walking back up the beach to the rest, asking them all to wait a moment for Zander.

* * *

Zander watches Cindy walk back up the beach, and then turns back to the deep, dark blue ocean in front of him. He sighs, sitting down on the soft sand beneath him. Reaching into his coat pocket, he pulls out his wallet and opens it up, pulling out a small photograph, putting his wallet back in his pocket. He stares down at the photo in his hands, feeling a tear slip down his cheek and hit the sand below him. "I miss you so much baby," he says to the photo of Stevie. His favorite photo of her to be exact. It was taken not long ago, maybe a month or so ago, when they were outside writing music. One of the kids from their class had asked if she could take some pictures for her photography project. They agreed and she told them to just go about their business.

In the photo, Stevie is sitting on one of the ledges at the back of the school, the sun shining behind her. Her hair is tucked behind her ear that is closest to the camera, while a few strands hang in down behind the other side of her face. She is bent over Zander's guitar, showing him a possible part for the song they were working on. She loved it when she played his guitar. He doesn't know why he loves the photo so much, he just does. Maybe because it captures the real Stevie; the music lover.

As he looks down at the photo, he memorizes every bit of it. The way her hands fit perfectly on his guitar, the way her eyes focus intently on the sheet music, the way she gets a tiny smile on her lips when she plays music, and the way her hair falls ever so gently in front of her face when she's hunched over. It's all the things he loves about her, and he'll never get to see any of it again.

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you." he says to the photo, "I really am. There are so many things we'll never get to do now. Words we'll never get to say. Looks we'll never get to give. Songs we're never going to write. Gifts we'll never get to give. Like this one." He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a small silver band, holding it in an enclosed fist. He slowly opens his hand, staring down at the ring in his hand. It's a custom made ring that he had done a few weeks back. It's a simple silver band, music notes etched into it, all around. An engraving etched into the inside of it, reading: _Zander and Stevie. June 1__st__, 2012. For you, I'll be the last one standing._

"I had this specially made," he begins, "It's a promise ring. I was gonna give it to you for your birthday. It symbolizes how we promise to be with each other forever. Kind of like a pre-marriage commitment." He gives a half-hearted smile, "I even got one for myself as well." He reaches into his other pocket and pulls out another ring with the same design on it. "It would have been so cool to walk around together with them on." A few more tears fall from his eyes and he looks up to the sky, "Nothing is going to be the same without you babe. But I promise I'll try and make it through, for you. Cause I know that you'd only tell me to move on and find someone new. I don't know how, or when that may happen, but I'll be sure to let you know as soon as I do find the one. But for now, I still have you, in here," he points to his hear, and then wipes the few tears from his eyes.

He pulls a small glass container out of his pocket, along with a black sharpie. "I'm gonna put this stuff in a jar, and then let it go in the ocean. That way if you want, you know, you can have them. It's both promise rings, so you have a little piece of me with you, and my favorite photo of you. The one that that photography kid took of you. You just look so cute in it, and so happy." He uncaps the sharpie, flipping the photograph over, and begins writing on it. _Stevie Raina Baskara. February 8__th__, 1996 – January 20__th__, 2014. This is my favorite picture of you. Because it's you in your natural habitat. I'll always love you. –Z_

He gently blows on the ink, making it dry faster, and then caps the pen again, putting it in his pocket. He unscrews the lid off of the jar, setting it beside him. He picks up the photograph, sliding it in, so that the actual photo itself is against the side of the jar. He then drops in both rings, hearing them clink together at the bottom. Then he picks up the lid off of the sand, shaking it to get the sand off, and screws it back on the jar.

Holding the jar in his hand, he stands up in the sand, looking out at the massive ocean. He looks down at the jar once more, bringing it up to his lips and gently kissing the side of it, where Stevie's photo is showing. "I love you," he whispers, and then reels his arm back, throwing the jar as far into the ocean as he possibly can. He watches as it lands, and then slowly starts floating out into the middle of the ocean.

Sighing, he turns around and heads back up the beach towards his family and friends, wiping a few more tears from his face. He reaches the group of them, all sitting down on a few benches they had found along the sidewalk. "I'm ready," he says quietly.

They all look up at him and then stand from their spots, heading towards the cars that brought them there. "You okay big brother?" he looks down to see Mel walking beside him, looking at him with a concerned look in her eyes.

He gives her a small smile, "I will be," he says, holding his hand out to her. She accepts his hand, holding on tight, and the two walk towards their parents car, climbing into the backseat. Mel rests her head on Zander's shoulder, her eyes closed, and breathing even. As the car pulls out of the parking lot, Zander looks out the window at the ocean.

And years later, if you asked him what he saw and felt that night as he stared at the ocean; he would tell you something that would probably bring tears to your eyes. "I like to think that Stevie heard me, from wherever she was that night, as I spoke to her down by the beach. Because whenever I said I loved her, I swear I felt something wisp across my face. And as I looked out at the ocean, when we drove away, I thought I saw someone, a smoky figure, walk out into the middle of the ocean and pick something up. I like to think that it was Stevie, finally getting the gifts I wish I could have given her in person, and knowing that I always have, and always will love her."

* * *

**So? Did you like it? By show of hands, how many of you cried? *raises hand* I'll admit it, I teared up while actually writing the ending of this. It's so sad, but so good! At least, I think so.**

**Let me know your thoughts below in a review!**

**If anyone can tell me where "How do you know when you're in love?" "All the songs makes sense." came from. You will get something special-ish. **

**Also, I'm gonna try and update my other stories as soon as I can. :)**

**Until next time,  
****Jellybean96 out!**


End file.
